(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
On Saturday, the No. 17 Arizona State University Gym Devils took on the No. 13 Washington Huskies in Wells Fargo Arena, in a crucial meet with heavy Pac-12 standing implications.
Unfortunately for ASU, Sun Devils Athletics told WCSN that consistent performer, Katelyn Lentz, suffered a season ending injury in practice this week. With the team’s lone senior, Nichelle Christopherson, already out until at least the Pac-12 Championships and sophomore Mekayla Jones out for the year, the loss of Lentz forced multiple gymnasts to step up Saturday.
ASU’s 942 Crew honored international gymnast Anne Kuhm all meet long with French flags, and she did not disappoint. The French junior tied or set career-highs on all four events and earned her best all-around mark of the season, a 39.425.
“We had a good meet,” Kuhm said. “The energy was high, a lot of cheering, the crowd was so nice! We had a couple meets that were not as good as this one, but we are trying to work hard at the gym and improve every week.”
In the first rotation, the Gym Devils were led by two career-high tying vaults from Kuhm and Cairo Leonard-Baker. The injuries to Lentz and Christopherson forced Graycee Rushton into the lineup, and she scored a 9.425. ASU finished the apparatus with a 49.050.
Washington tied its season-high on bars in the first rotation, a 49.200, with five gymnasts scoring 9.800 or higher.
In the second rotation, ASU took to bars where the Devils saw four gymnasts earn season- or career-high scores. Kuhm and Leonard-Baker led the way again with a 9.900 and 9.950, respectively. Morgan Wilson was another contributor as she scored a season-best 9.825. The Gym Devils scored a 49.300 on the apparatus.
The Gym Dawgs of Washington put up a 49.125 on vault, and after the second rotation, ASU held a 0.025 point lead.
With the slight lead, ASU continued to put up consistently hit routines on beam as they earned a 49.075. The standout on the event was Wilson, who put up a 9.850 career-high in her season debut on the event.
Gymnasts stepping up like Wilson was the theme of the day for the Gym Devils, as they filled the holes unfortunate injuries caused. Leonard-Baker praised the team and coaches about how they’ve been dealing with the injuries. “Jay and Jess make us train all four events, so we always have backup people,” Leonard-Baker said. “When it comes to times like right now [with injuries], we thank God that they make us do that.”
On the other side of the stadium, the Gym Dawgs proved why they are ranked in the top-10 nationally on floor by scoring a 49.375 on the apparatus.
Going into the final rotation, ASU was trailing Washington by nearly three tenths. The Gym Devils were once again led by Kuhm and Leonard-Baker, who put up a 9.875 and a 9.900, respectively. The squad finished the final rotation with a 49.150 and the meet with a 196.575, their second highest total of the season.
While ASU competed well, it was not good enough to overcome the streaking Washington team, who scored a season-best 197.025 on the day.
When speaking about the difference between his squad and the away team, head coach Jay Santos said, “…that’s kind of the difference in the meet today. Washington was very sharp, their landings were really precise… I’d like to see us take care of those little details.”
Although ASU could not come away with another conference victory, the Gym Devils took a step in the right direction on Saturday and performed like the team they have shown they can be.
The Devils will be back in action next week for the Territorial Cup meet against the No. 24 Arizona Wildcats. The competition is slated to start at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 at Wells Fargo Arena.
